The HYC today submitted a complaint to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma seeking inquiry into alleged unauthorised expenditures, irregularities, illegal allotment of works and undue favour to certain firms by the Directorate of Printing and Stationery.
In the complaint, HYC stated that the CAG report has detected certain irregularities in the Directorate leading to the unauthorised and misappropriation of huge amounts of public funds during the period from 2010 to 2020.
Citing the observations made by the Principal Accountant General, (Audit), Meghalaya for the period February 2010 to November, the HYC alleged that there were unauthorised expenditures due to procurement of materials from a disqualified supplier.
It also said that the Director of Printing and Stationery placed supply orders worth Rs 87.58 lakh from a firm whose tender was earlier rejected by the Purchase Board Committee of the Directorate due to non-fulfillment of certain conditions. It also said that the Directorate has failed to uphold due care and transparency as the disqualified firm was given the supply orders worth Rs 87.85 lakh.
It also said that there were avoidable expenditures of Rs 2,03,500 due to irregularity in procurement of single colour sheet-fed offset machines. As per records, it was found that while five firms submitted their quotations, one firm quoted the lowest rate of Rs 7,43,250 while another firm quoted the second lowest rate of Rs 8,45,000. However, the Director of Printing and Stationery awarded the contract for procurement of the machines at an amount of Rs 8,45,000 thus giving undue favour to the particular firm and resulting in an extra burden of Rs 2,03,500 to the State exchequer.
Further, HYC said that there were irregularities in outsourcing printing works to private firms without following due process leading to unauthorised expenditures of Rs 121.89 lakh. Citing the CAG report, the organisation said that in 2015, the Mission Director, State Health Society (NHM), Meghalaya requested the Directorate, Printing and Stationery to carry out printing works of materials required under NHM. The Directorate outsourced the printing works to a firm known as Shree Hari Industries worth Rs 112.17 lakh without inviting tender. The firm has no printing press or any expertise in printing works. The Directorate also made payment of Rs 17.85 lakh to RKS Enterprise for printing of HNBC forms and flex without inviting tender. Though the Directorate was not involved in the printing works, all the bills were prepared by the firms and sealed, signed by the Directorate certifying that the bills are verified and found to be correct thus acting as a middleman in the whole process.
It also said that nine computers were purchased by the Directorate in 2017 from Shree Hari Industries without any rate quotation or inviting tender which was a clear case of favouritism to the particular firm and against the Meghalaya Financial Rules.
Other deficiencies and irregularities in the Directorate cited by the HYC include “Avoidable expenditures due to delay in payment of electricity bills worth Rs.1.71 lakh”; “Double payment of Electricity Bill”; “Idle stock worth Rs 47.48 lakh”; “Non-adjustment of TA advance on Medical ground”; “Non-adjustment of Medical advances amounting to Rs 23.04 lakh”; “Irregularities in maintenance of Cash Books”; “Irregularities in depositing of Government Receipt”; “Discrepancies in maintaining of Receipt Book”; “Non-maintanace of Stock Book for Revenue Receipt”; and “Non-conduct of Physical Verification of Stores and Stocks”.
While demanding for an inquiry on the alleged irregularities and misappropriation of public fund, the HYC also said that pending the inquiry, the Director of Printing and Stationery should be put under suspension as per Rule 6 (1) (a) of the Meghalaya Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2019, “in order to ensure a free, fair and just Inquiry and to prevent the incumbent Director to manipulate, hamper or tamper with evidences, records and also to prevent him from misusing his position to influence any person(s) acquainted with the subject matter of inquiry”.
